1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a front end structure of a vehicle comprising a front end panel which is arranged at a front end portion of the vehicle and divides the front end portion into an engine compartment, into which an internal combustion engine is incorporated, and an outside of the engine compartment.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a suction port of a suction duct from which air is sucked into an engine is open to an engine compartment so that foreign material such as rain water and snow can not be sucked into the suction duct (engine).
However, since the atmospheric temperature in the engine compartment is higher than that outside of the engine compartment, when air is sucked from the engine compartment into the engine, the temperature of the air is high and the density of air (oxygen) is low. Therefore, the engine efficiency (output) is lowered.
When the suction port is arranged outside the engine compartment, and air is sucked from the outside of the engine, there is a possibility that the foreign material, such as rain water and snow, is sucked into the engine.
The present invention has been accomplished in view of the above circumstances. It is an object of the present invention to supply air, which has been sucked from the outside of an engine compartment, into the engine while the suction of foreign material such as rain water and snow into the engine is prevented.
In order to accomplish the above object, an embodiment of the present invention is a front end structure of a vehicle comprising a front end panel (100) which is arranged at a front end portion of the vehicle and divides the front end portion into an engine compartment, into which an internal combustion engine is incorporated, and an outside of the engine compartment, the front end panel (100) comprising: a suction opening portion (122) in which suction air sucked into the internal combustion engine flows and which communicates the engine compartment with the outside of the engine compartment; and a cover member (300, 410, 151) for forming a suction chamber (140) in which the sucked air is filled, the cover member being arranged on the front side of the suction opening portion (122) in such a manner that the cover member covers the suction opening portion (122) from the front side of the vehicle, wherein the suction chamber (140) is communicated with the outside of the suction chamber (140) in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and a communicating passage (141) to communicate the suction chamber (140) with the outside of the suction chamber (140) is formed into a labyrinth structure composed of the cover member (300, 410, 151) and the front end panel (100).
Due to the above structure, it is possible to supply air, which has been sucked from the outside of an engine compartment, into an internal combustion engine while foreign material, such as rain water and snow, is prevented from being sucked into the internal combustion engine.
Another embodiment of the present invention is a front end structure of a vehicle comprising: a front end panel (100) which is arranged at a front end portion of the vehicle and divides the front end portion into an engine compartment, into which an internal combustion engine is incorporated, and an outside of the engine compartment; a decoration grill (300) for forming a decoration profile of the front end portion of the vehicle, arranged on the front side of the front end panel (100); and a bumper cover (410) to cover a bumper reinforcement (400) for absorbing a shock,
the front end panel (100) comprising: a suction opening portion (122) in which air sucked into the internal combustion engine flows and which communicates the engine compartment with the outside of the engine compartment; and a suction chamber (140) in which the sucked air is filled, formed on the front side of the suction opening portion (122) when the suction opening portion (122) is covered with the decoration grill (300) from the front side of the vehicle, wherein the suction chamber (140) is communicated with the outside of the suction chamber (140) in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and a communicating passage (141) to communicate the suction chamber (140) with the outside of the suction chamber (140) is formed into a labyrinth structure composed of the decoration grill (300), the front end panel (100) and the bumper cover (410).
The present invention may be more fully understood from the description of preferred embodiments of the invention set forth below, together with the accompanying drawings.